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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

Early
in the years of the Great Depression, as a first grader, the real meaning of November
11th was impressed upon this writer. At 11 AM the school bell was rung and the
children of all grades stood beside their desks for a minute of silence in commemoration
of the Armistice which brought the Great War of 1914-1918 to an end.

Since
1918 the United States has been engaged in three other major conflicts and Armistice
Day has been changed to Veterans’ Day in honor of all those who have served.
This change is understandable. It is difficult to accept, however, the latest
tampering with Veterans’ Day. We refer to placing it on a Monday in October in
order to provide a three-day holiday which is also becoming a gigantic sale
day, in competition with the birthday of George Washington. Hopefully, without
sounding too old-fashioned or sentimental, it is our feeling that it would be
better to designate the October date as simply a “Business Holiday” and not designate
the memory of those who served by calling it Veterans’ Day. Under the
circumstances where the meaning of the holiday is almost completely lost,
better no Veterans’ Day at all.

Harking
back to the Great War of 1914-1918, it is interesting to note that there are
two memorials in Prince George’s County which were erected to the memory of all
of the citizens of the County who lost their lives in that conflict. In 1919,
just one year after the Armistice, the County erected a monument (fountain) on
the Court House lawn, bordering Main Street in Upper Marlboro. In recent years
the location of the monument was changed to the far left side of the lawn, set
back from the street.

The
Upper Marlboro bears the following inscription:

THE
RIGHT WILL PREVAIL

This monument perpetuates the memory of
the sons and daughters of Prince George’s County who true to the tradition of
their County To the spirit of that service, tribute is here paid by a grateful
people. J. M. Miller, Sc.(ulptor) W. G. Bucher, Arch.(itect) J. Arthur Emerick
Co., Founders, Baltimore A.D. 1919

On
the opposite side of the monument is the following inscription:

ERECTED
1919 These men from Prince George’s County made the supreme sacrifice defending
the liberty of mankind.

The
most well known of the two memorials in Prince George’s, primarily because of
its imposing size and its location, is the Peace Cross Monument in Bladensburg.
Situated in the center of the intersection of two major arteries, Bladensburg
Road (Rt. 1) and Defense Highway (Rt. 240, old Rt. 40), it has achieved landmark
status over the years.

(Until recent years it was the point of reference for
the famous Bladensburg floods.)

The
fund drive for the famous Peace Cross was begun early in 1919 by Mr. John Riggles
of Lanham and Mrs. J.H. Norman of Hyattsville. Individual contributions ranged
from 50¢ to $100, and the three local newspapers (The Washington Star, The
Times and the Washington Post) as well as three department stores (Woodward
& Lothrop, S. Kann & Sons and Lansburg Bros.) each contributed $100.

Numerous
benefits were held and a total of $1,523.16 was collected, but the drive began
to wind down by late 1920. At this point the Snyder-Farmer Post of the American
Legion agreed to assume responsibility for the completion of the Peace Cross. Snyder-Farmer
Post No. 3 of the American Legion was officially recognized on July 8, 1919,
the third in the State of Maryland.

Most
of the Legionnaires had been members of Hyattsville’s old Company F, Maryland National
Guard, which became part of the 115th Infantry when they were mustered into
federal service andsent to France. (A charter member from another part of the
County was the late Rep. Lansdale G. Sasscer of Upper Marlboro.) The Post was
named for Maurice B. Snyder and George W. Farmer, both of Hyattsville, who lost
their lives on October 8, 1918 in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The Peace cross
was dedicated on July 12, 1925. The total cost, including the wall around the
mound to protect it from the floods, was approximately $25,000. Of this amount,
about $23,000 was raised and donated by Post No. 3.

At
the base of the huge cross these four words appear on each side:

VALOR,
ENDURANCE, COURAGE, DEVOTION

On the face of the cross at the junction
of the two arms is a gold star bearing the letters “U.S.” in red in the center.
Encircling the Star is a blue wreath. The inscription on the bronze tablet is
as follows:

1917
This Memorial Cross 1918 dedicated to the heroes of Prince George’s County,
Maryland, who lost their lives in the Great War for the Liberty of the World.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Councilman Eric Olsen was denied
a chance at being Chair of the Prince George's County Council.

And why, one might ask? Because
he is too 'Arlington' is the answer we are given.[1] To be 'too Arlington' would mean attracting investments and professional
workforce such as DRS Technologies, Inc., a Finmeccanica
Company, and relocating its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Arlington
County.[2]

To be 'too-Arlington' would be to
be number 3 on a list of highest-income counties in the United States.[3]
To be' too Arlington' would be a county that defense contractors, financial institutions
and subject-matter-expert businesses find inviting and locate.

To be 'too Arlington' would be to
showcase a great school system such as a top rated school district as found in
Arlington where communities comes together county-wide in public/private initiatives
to support the greater good.

To be 'too Arlington' would be to
have a county with no murders in 2011.[4]
Why on earth would someone think that
trying to have a great school system, no murders, a low crime rate, and a attractive
business climate that consists of more than 'milling' one's way to prosperity' for
a few is a bad thing? Let's take a look at what being 'Arlington' means.

A first quick glance at Arlington
would suggest a richer and more affluent place to live and work. With a quarter
of the population of Prince George's county it brings in nearly the same
revenue in the food service industry.... could this be more restaurants
perhaps? Arlington's population has a higher education and earns more
money...is this so bad a thing as to not want an Arlington type Council Chair?

The 2007 GRC score indicates the
level of math or reading achievement by the average student in a public school
district. Prince George's County ranks
28% in math and 39% in reading; Arlington however has a 46% rank in math and
53% in reading.[6]
For some reason we are to take this as a bad thing that Arlington out performs
us and therefore we would not want a chair who might enable us to compete
across the river. In fact there is no economic reason to disparage Arlington.
While I am the first to think that this county should lead not follow, I have
to wonder about the new found tendency to lead towards the basement of economic
accomplishments. We are not going to get
anywhere repeating the small minded parochial sectional practices of the past.
Just because one group many years ago practices the politics of exclusion does
not mean that exclusion is the best practice for moving the most upwards and
forwards today. We must be better than the past; we must move forward beyond
the good of the few today at the expense of the needs of the many tomorrow.

[2]
The company, recognized as one of the leading defense technology companies in
the world, will be expanding its regional office to accommodate over 100
employees. The relocation and expansion costs will bring in excess of $10
million of capital investment to the region. http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1232

[6]
The GRC score indicates the level of math or reading achievement by the average
student in a public school district compared to student achievement in a set of
25 developed countries. The score represents the percentage of students in the
international group who would have a lower level of achievement. For example, a
percentile of 60 means the average student in a school district would perform
better than 60% of the students in the international group. http://globalreportcard.org/map.html#bottom-results

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Mr. Olsen and the Third District of Prince George's County were
denied a chance once again to chair the County Council, something it has not done for twenty years or more. It sure looks like the
3rd District is taken advantage of in the politics of the petty. Someday if the
politics of sectionalism continues we should not be surprised to see District 3
seek to remove itself to a more accepting county taking the university with
it. And if District 1 decided to join a succession movement it would result in a major removal of federal presence
mostly ignored in the present squabbling milieu of our power elites. Who knows, District
4 might want to leave also taking the second largest city in Maryland with it,
allowing the remaining cliques full play with their diminished resources. With National Harbor already marketing itself
as part of Old Town Alexandria and Northern Virginia, how long before other
sections throw in the towel and give up on the small centers of smaller vision?

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Itwas
truly gratifying to see, in the reliable "Marlbro' Gazette," such a
good account of the late exhibition. It says:

"Those who visited the
Prince George's Agricultural Society in former years, must have noticed the
gradual improvement in the various departments—and in every thing exhibited at
its late meeting there was displayed more perfection than on any previous occasion.
The contributionsof the ladies were both useful
and beautiful. The display of fruits, flowers and vegetables, excelled the rich
collections of former years. The stock yard was well filled with superior
animals, affording ample proof that the attention bestowed on raising improved
animals has more than compensated for the care and expense. We cannot do
justice to the fine cattle exhibited—and must content ourselves with referring
to the reports of the various committees which will be published next week. A
most interesting feature of this branch was the competition for the'Calvert Premium.' It will be recollected that the
liberal and zealous friend of agriculture, C. B. Calvert, last year offered,
through the columns of the Gazette, to give the male calves of his celebrated
Durham stock, free of charge, to such gentlemen as would oblige themselves to
exhibit them for the premium of die Society, annually for three years. Eleven
gentlemen availed themselves of the offer, and the committee who passed upon
the calves, speak in the highest terms of their appearance. They have made an
interesting report on the subject"

Truly,
thereisa great difference between giving
away improved shorthorn calves, and selling them, as in England for the last
forty years, at from fifty to one hundred guineas. It is well thatsomethingcan prompt gentlemen of ample
means to take measures for the improvement of their stock; but after all, the
question arises, how far is it expedient, with a view even to general
improvement, togiveaway the means of accomplishing
it, unless it be to men of spirit unable to buy t

In
the general way, that is not most valued which may be had, even without the
trouble of asking; and when those who are able to buy wait to have a thing
given to them, to whom can they expect to sell? Will not the next generation
wait not only to have the best things given them, but sent them in the bargain,
with a polite note entreating them to accept? By-the-by, though we have read
with lively pleasure the account of the show, we have looked in vain for any
indication of a desire to inquire into thelawsoftheStatethatbearuponagriculture.Whether, for instance, something
might not be done to enable the planters and farmers of Prince George's, to
avail themselves of their unemployed means of raising as many more sheep as
would add fifty thousand dollars to the income of the county, without an
additional outlay on that amount of one per cent.? Are there not streams enough
in Prince George's to manufacture all the cloth that is used in the county, and
might not the county supply the wool fine enough for all purposes, and the
vegetables and corn, and fruit and meat for the operatives employed in its
manufacture, without intrenching on their present income from other sources?
Why forever persist in putting their trust so exclusively in tobacco? Suppose
even that the duty was to be reduced in England, and the consumption quadrupled
or quintupled: have we not in the west land enough and labor enough that can in
no way be o profitably employed as in producing tobacco at four dollars a
hundred? And is it not, therefore, morally certain, that the supply will forever
tread closely on the heels of demand, and so keep down the price? Let, then,
the planter and farmer of Maryland and Virginia study how—by what action of the
government—those who manufacture iron and cloth for us abroad shall find it
their interest, and be tempted to come, and, while they are manufacturing for
us here, eat the cabbages, and the turnips, and potatoes, and apples, and milk,
and butter, and veal, and mutton, that might be made in Prince George's, with
half the labor and cost that they are made in New England. Then he would selltons,where now he sells pounds weight
of wheat and tobacco.

We see in these proceedings at
Marlbro', conducted by gentlemen of acknowledged and superior intelligence, no
attempt to agitate the question of thefencelaws,and theinspectionlawsof
the state—though the fencing in that very county has cost more than the land
would sell for. When farmers meet, one would suppose it would be to inquire and
discuss, as merchants and manufacturers do, the bearing of the laws, and policy
of the government on their particular pursuits; but, alas! for instruction in
all that, they surrender the privilege of thought and inquiry to old fieldpartyleaders,whose orders they implicitly obey.
The whole country may be compared to a great pyramid, the base of which, broad
and strong enough to hold all the rotten materials above, is composed of the
substantial farmers and planters of the country. The next tier above consists
of the seekers after numerous small offices, for which they rely on the
influence of the next tier above them again, composed of a smaller number, who
aspire to something a little higher—state legislators, &c, who, in their
turn, are the creatures of lawyers without briefs, and doctors without
patients, looking for seats in Congress, rising up at last to an individual
sitting in a great palace, who holds the purse-strings—who constitutes the apex
of the political pyramid, and who saves, to all below him, the trouble of
thinking for themselves; and in regard to whom it sometimes happens that still
the wonder grows that one small head should carry all he knows. Such is the
system under which the farmer and the planter allows himself to' be governed,
without any attempt at individual inquiry and independent action. Societies
seem to be organized, not to inquire into the political economy and condition
of the landed interest, but to giveaway, for large calves and fat sheep as much
money as they can collect—while those in whose names and for whose benefit they
associate, continue to pay $15,000,000ayearformilitaryestablishments and schools.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Extraordinary Strawberries. - Dr. Bayne recently exhibited to the Horticultural
Society of Washington city, two jars of strawberries, measuring five inches in
circumference, and weighing each two hundred grains; thirty-two of them filling
a quart; and for flavor and beauty far surpassing any fruit ever exhibited
here. Dr. Bayne has lately given great attention to the cultivation of the
straberry [sic], and deserves much credit for having brought this excellent
fruit to its present state of perfection,

Dr. Bayne's home, gardens and nursery will soon lie under the parking lot of a high end discount shopping mall now under construction in Prince George's County

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Mr. Skinner, - I beg you to
encourage your fare readers, (who are under great obligation to you for your endeavors
to improve their husbands and their husbands' lands,) to attend to their poulty
yards, by letting them see how profitable they may be made.[1]

I state
from good authority, that several thousand turkies [sic] may be hired out in Prince George's county, during the past
summer, at the rate of twenty-five cents a piece per month and found. They will
be returned when their work is done, and if any are overworked or die from any
other cause, they will be paid for at the rate of 75 cents each.

Some of
your distant readers, who know nothing about tobacco, may think this a quiz.
But I assure you, these wages were actually offered the last summer. Now it
will certainly be desirable to encourage the breeding of this useful animal,
and after having helped the planter in his crop, the turkies themselves will be
almost as good shewing as the tobacco, and if they are killed pretty soon in
the season. they may even have a fine relish of it. I am, Sir, yours, A. Chewer.

Note - The Editor of the American
Farmer, being the agent through whom all communications passed between the government,
and the commanding officer of the enemy's squadron in the Chesapeake during the
war [of 1812], had frequent occasion to go on board, where he was often compelled
either to "keep fast" or to
dine on poultry and live stock plundered from his own countrymen and friends.
He recollects that dining with Admiral Warren the day that a large detachment
advanced upon St. Michaels, in Septmebr, he was invited to partake of some
"turkey poults and oysters," -- It was the first time
he had heard the term, and never having seen turkies eaten at that age, knew
not what they meant. --They were the size of dunghill fowls, and no doubt thoroughly
impregnated with the contents of tobacco
worms. Hew declined the invitation, and dinner being removed, he took occasion
to explain to them, as ou correspondent has done, their great utility in
devouring tobacco worms at that season, and we have some reason to hope, that
this insight into the natural history and propensities of the nice :turkey
poults," had the effect of saving the flocks of many good house wives from
the ravages of an an enemy, from whose rapacity nothing was too sacred or too humble
to escape.

A convention of the unconditional union men of Prince George's
county, Md. was held at Bladensburg on Tuesday. The following gentlemen were nominated to represent
the county in the State Constitutional Convention; _John Bowie, Sr., Sr. John
H. Bayne[2], George
W. Duvall, of George, and Shelby Clark. The following resolution was adopted:

Resolved
by this Convention, That we are in favor of the immediate emancipation
in this State, and compensation to loyal owners by the general government, and
that we accept, as the exposition of out principles, the recent address of
Messrs. Richard J. Bowie and other to the voters of Montgomery county.

[1]Sun,
published as The Sun;Date:03-31-1864;Volume:LIV;Issue:118;Page:[4];Location:Baltimore, Maryland
- transcribed by John Peter Thompson

[2]IN PATH TO BUILDING OUTLET MALL, HISTORIC SITE
STRIPPED OF PROTECTIONS

County commission rules
Salubria plantation can be built over, eliminating hurdle for developer: http://princegeorgian.blogspot.com/2011/12/salubria-oxon-hill-and-national-harbor.html

Mr.
Wilson's playing of the Rhapsody was
an awe-inspiring, effervescent, explosion of musical mastery that was paired with the
Prince George's Philharmonic's partnering perfection. The orchestra supported
and highlighted Mr. Wilson's fantastic performance, and he in turn knew exactly
when to allow the orchestra to shine. The bravura elements of the Rhapsody
worked not only because of Mr. Wilson’s
and Mr. Ellis’control and understanding of the music but because they allowed the moments
less technically demanding to sing out creating the emotional contrasts that
make the piece work.

Mr.
Wilson returned to stun the audience with his encore performance of Arcadi Volodos' (Russian:
Аркадий Аркадиевич Володось) brilliantly impossible piano transcription of
the Rondo "Alla Turca" from
Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 (300i). Listening to Mr.
Wilson play the unbelievably difficult solo piano music was like standing in
the middle of a pyrotechnical explosion. Mr. Wilson, like Rachmaninoff and
Gould, is able to make inner voices sound forth while framing the melodic
inventions with technically demanding rhythmic counterpoint.

The
second concert in the Prince George's Philharmonic 2012-2013 season showcased
the considerable talent and musical expertise of the orchestra's members. The
percussion section was on time in sync and right there every time the music
called for an exclamation point or subtle coloring that make special musical
moments. The poetic themes of the night's compositions highlighted music's
ability to transport a listener to a different time or place, and the percussion
section was there to ensure the effect and the feelings that the composers were
inducing.

The
entire program in fact seemed to be performed at a speed that allowed the
various sections to demonstrate their unique technical contributions in each of
the compositions that made up the November concert. The percussion and brass in
the Smetana and the Rimsky-Korsakov were heroicconfirming
the first rate nature of the Prince George's County Philharmonic. The cellos
and contrabasses were solid and artful in the Barber as well. And the woodwinds
beautifully demonstrated their art throughout the evening, particularly in
Barber's challenging Die natali, Op.
37; Chorale Preludes for Christmas. Maestro
Ellis greatly enhanced the performance of Barber’s little-known Die Natali with an introductory
explanation of its construction - with parts of the orchestra playing several
illustrative selections from the piece.

A
symphony orchestra is held together by musical cloth made from the weft and
warp of the string section led by the violins and the violas. The violas were
especially outstanding in Barber's Dei
Natali. All of this goes to say that they are always in the bull's eye,
always dancing on the head of a pin most especially audible in the quiet simple
brief connective passages of any performance. After the briefest moment of
indecision in a transition section early in Smetana's From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields (Z českých luhů a hájů from Ma
Vlast), the string section performed is role as the very fabric of the
music well focusing when directed and supporting in a musical partnership when
called for displaying the art that makes the Prince George's Philharmonic the
wonderful orchestra that it is.

Mr.
Ellis laid out an interesting program for the evening which he explained in
detail in the Philharmonic's electronicnewsletter,
Quarter Notes.[1] All of the technical challenges came together
in each of the evening's compositions. Each composition, taken as a stand-alone
performance, was great. Each performance showed the artistry of the many varied
contributions of the symphonic team. In short, the orchestra was in great form,
exciting, proficient and masterful, but somehow the entirety of the program
seemed to be risk averse,
Mr. Wilson's performance excepted. It
was if as though each piece was performed at the same tempo.

That
said the evening was a special reminder of the remarkable musical
organization that brings extraordinary performances to Prince George's County, Maryland. If you were not there,
you missed quite an evening. Prince George's County is so fortunate to have a
first rate orchestra in its midst.

[1] readers
may sign up to receive "Quarter Notes" on a regular basis by

sending an e-mail request to: pgphilharmonic@gmail.com

A note from the Music Director

Program building is one of
the fundamental tasks for any conductor, and one of my favorite parts of being
the Philharmonic's Music Director; the process of assembling our November 17
program was particularly interesting for me, so I think that a brief look back
at some of the considerations I dealt with in this particular case might shed
some light on the variety of factors which can influence the programming
process.

I began with two
"givens": first, that a concert program should consist of a minimum
of 60 and a maximum of 90 minutes of music, with the ideal model being in the
75-80 minute range; and second, that the removable floorboards which cover the
orchestra pit at the Bowie Center will not support the weight of a 9-foot
concert grand piano. From that point, I moved on to two strongly held
preferences: first, to present Terrence Wilson as soloist with the Prince
George's Philharmonic at the earliest possible opportunity, and second, to
perform Samuel Barber's Die Natali on a program which was scheduled fairly
close to Christmas. Mr. Wilson was unavailable for either of the dates in the
2011-12 season which remained open at the time I initiated discussions with his
management, and the Philharmonic had already agreed to host a winner of the
Johansen International Competition for this season's opening concert. A visit
to Mr. Wilson's website brought up the list of works which are currently in his
performance repertoire - the Paganini Rhapsody fairly jumped off the page at me
because it's been more than 20 years since the Philharmonic has performed it,
and because it is the perfect sort of dramatic showpiece needed to provide a
balancing contrast to the Barber, which is predominantly cool and quiet in
character. These two pieces gave me the core of our program, as well as the
first 40 minutes of music.

The next work added was the Smetana - it's a piece
which I have known and loved for many years, but have only performed once (with
another orchestra in 1990) - it is also a piece which has never been played by
the Prince George's Philharmonic. The final decision to add it to this program
came during my visit to the Czech Republic's Sumava National Park in 2010; my
own experience of Bohemia's woods and fields proved the decisive factor. I now
had a brilliant showpiece for solo piano and orchestra, a 20th century work
based on Christmas carols, and a tone poem which describes a specific geographic
location, all of which added up to about 52 minutes of music; it made the most
sense to me to make the showpiece the central focus of the program and balance
it with another "place" piece, plus another holiday-themed piece. I
gave very serious consideration to Maurice Ravel's Rhapsodie Espagnol, but it
was at that point that the physical logistics of the Bowie Center came into
play. Because of the weight restriction on the pit cover and the depth of the
piano itself, I knew that we would lose the twelve feet of stage space closest
to the audience for this particular concert; unfortunately, the Ravel calls for
an exceptionally large wind and percussion section, plus a pair of harps, so I
reluctantly arrived at the conclusion that the requisite orchestral forces
would simply not be able to fit onto this stage. The Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio
espagnol, however, requires several fewer wind players, only one harp, and has
a somewhat smaller percussion setup; like the Ravel, it is a brilliantly
orchestrated piece which was inspired by the composer's own visit to Spain, and
although shorter by a couple of minutes, it certainly affords a rousing finale
for any concert program. This brought me to 67 minutes of music - on the short
side for a complete program - and I was still casting about for a second
holiday piece. After brainstorming with a couple of my colleagues, I discovered
that the solution was as simple as a look through my own library, where I
turned up the score to Britten's Men of Goodwill - I'd performed it years ago
when I took over a Holiday Pops program from another conductor on short notice.
I recalled thinking at the time that it was borderline too serious for a Pops
concert; but in one of those wonderful "Eureka" moments, I realized that
it was just what I needed to complete this particular program - it didn't
require any instruments which weren't already required for the other four
pieces, Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber were almost exact contemporaries
whose compositional styles complement each other beautifully, and at 9 minutes'
duration, it brought the program right into the heart of the "sweet
spot" in terms of overall duration.

Hopefully, this little tale
will illustrate the multiplicity of considerations which can enter into a
conductor's programming decisions, and that you will enjoy the resultant
variety of music which we'll perform for you on Saturday.